Sail Ho! Part 101

"But he is not fit to leave alone, Miss Denning," said the doctor quickly.

"He would not be alone, Mr Frewen," she replied gently. "I should share his watch."

"And do you think, my dear child," cried Mr Brymer, "that we big strong men are going to lie down to sleep, and let you watch for us?"

"Why not?" she said quietly. "You have all risked your lives to save us. It is the least we can do."

"Yes," came in Mr Denning's sharp voice; "we shall keep this watch together, I am strong enough for that. Nothing shall approach the ship, Mr Brymer, without your having warning."

"He is quite right, Brymer," said a fresh debater in a faint voice, as no less a person than the captain joined in the discussion. "You are all worn-out. We sick folk have sharp ears, and will keep them well opened."

"I--I really hardly know what to say," said Mr Brymer.

I did, for I suddenly started from the spot where I stood, after sniffing suspiciously two or three times, shouting--"Fire!--fire!" For the enemy had evidently been at work insidiously, and had burst its water-chains, and leaped up to attack us again.

We all made a rush for the pump and hose, for the smell of burning was stronger as we reached the steaming hold, I being first. But I felt puzzled, for the steam was dense as ever, and I could only smell the dank, unpleasant, hydrogenous odour of decomposed water, while the smell which had reached the companion-way had been the fresh, sharp, pungent scent of burning wood. The next moment, though, I saw where the danger was, and shouted--

"The galley--the galley!"

We all ran round to the door, for smoke was issuing from the wooden building freely, and a dull light shone out on to the darkness. Then I burst out in astonishment--

"What, Dumlow! You here?"

"Ay, ay, sir. Practysing up. I got it now, and go ahead to-morrow morning. Stove bothered me a bit at first, but I can work her, and there'll be hot water and coffee for braxfast in the morning, and soup and taters for dinner. Cooking's easy enough when you knows how."

There was a roar of laughter at this.

"Ah, you may laugh, all on you, I don't keer. This won't hurt my leg, will it, doctor?"

"No; you can go on with that," replied Mr Frewen; "but keep seated all you can."

"Toe be sure, sir. I've often seen the cook sitting down to peel the taters and stir the soup."

"Well, let that fire out now, and get some rest," said Mr Brymer. "You startled us all."

Then leading the way back to the saloon, he told Miss Denning that we should all gladly accept her brother's offer; and it having been arranged that a whistle should give the signal of danger, the poor fellow was carried up on the p.o.o.p-deck, and left there with his sister, a final look given at the steaming hold, and then the men went forward, and we to our cabins, I choosing for mine the one occupied by Walters, to whom I talked for a few minutes, and then in an instant I was asleep.

CHAPTER FORTY SIX.

I said in an instant, for I was talking to Walters one moment, and the next I was fighting the fire over again, and seeing now all kinds of horrible glowing-eyed serpents and dragons, which kept on raising their heads and breathing out flames. And as they reared their heads, they glared at me with their glowing eyeb.a.l.l.s, and lifted themselves higher, to try and lick with their fiery tongues the woodwork of the ship.

It was all wonderfully plain, and the worry and trouble were terrible.

I held the nozzle, of the hose, and knew that unless I drove them back with a strong jet of water they would destroy the ship at once; but the tube was empty, the pump did not clank, and the hissing creatures rose higher and higher, till they were about to scorch me, when I started into wakefulness, and found that I was lying on my back, bathed in perspiration, and all was perfectly still.

I soon changed my position, and dropped off to sleep again--a calm, restful sleep for a time; but the old trouble returned: there I was standing at the edge of that great steaming gap in the deck, with the fiery serpents darting here and there and dancing up and down. Then they began to make darts at the woodwork, and one greater than all the rest reared itself up to try and reach the main-mast, but sank back again. Then it reared itself up and tried once more, this time reaching higher and higher, till it disappeared in the grey smoke; and directly after I saw that it had reached the mast, and was creeping up it, in one long undulating streak of golden and ruddy fire, which would soon reach the mast-head, if I did not drive it down with the jet of water.

I raised the copper branch, and directed it straight at the fiery monster, but the pump still did not clank, and no water flowed. Instead thereof came a jet of steam--not the visible grey vapour which is really the water in tiny vesicles, but a jet of invisible steam which rushed out of the breach with a shrill whistling sound, and again I awoke with a start to fancy that I was yet dreaming, for the sharp whistling still rang in my ears.

Then I knew what it was--the signal of danger given by Mr Denning or his sister, and, hurrying out of the cabin, I crossed the saloon, and ran out and upon deck to where they were.

"A boat?--the mutineers?" I panted.

"No," said Miss Denning, excitedly. "The fire has broken out again!"

At the same moment I found that the alarm had been heard forward, for the men were tumbling up from the forecastle, and Bob Hampton's voice thundered out--

"Ahoy, there! man the pumps. She's going it again."

For, on reaching the gap in the deck where the hissing had recommenced, the steam which we had left steadily rising when we went to lie down, then looking of a blackish grey, now appeared luminous, as if some great light were playing about beyond it.

Knowing where the copper branch had been made ready, I made for it at once; but as I picked it up, it was s.n.a.t.c.hed from my hands by some one, whom I could not distinguish till he spoke, and when he did, his voice sounded husky and strange from excitement.

"Ready there?" shouted Bob Hampton, from forward; and none too soon, for there was a flash of light, which turned the steam to ruddy gold, and a dull crackling roar was rising out of the hold.

"Yes; go on there!" shouted Mr Brymer from the other side of the deck.

"Who has the branch?"

"I have," cried Mr Frewen.

Then as my heart beat wildly from excitement, the clanking of the pump began again, and directly after a shrieking and hissing, which, in the darkness of the night, sounded louder than ever. Report after report came too, and with them the steam seemed to be denser than ever. Dark as the night appeared, it was visible enough, and looked so awful and yet grand, lit-up as it was by the fierce burst of fire beneath, that it became hard to believe that it too was not glowing, curling flame, rising up from the hold, and wreathing about the great yards and sails of the main-mast.

I watched it as it rose, fully expecting to see the sails burst into flame; but there it came in heavy folds, dimly-seen here, black in shadow there, and the fiery-looking clouds proved to be only visible vapours, water perfectly harmless, while the real flames caused by the fire having reached something specially combustible, never rose many feet in the hold, and by degrees began to yield to the powerful jet of water Mr Frewen poured down.

"Tell me if I miss any of the worst places, Dale," he shouted, to make his voice heard above the din of the elemental strife.

I answered that he was doing quite right; and the proof of my words was shown by the gradual darkening of the steam from bright gold to pale yellow, then to orange, bright red, and soon after to a dull glow, which served to show where the danger lay, and this part was so deluged, that in less than an hour the glow died out, and we were in utter darkness.

"Let me take it a bit now," said Mr Brymer, joining us; and with the hissing and sputtering to guide him, he now continued to pour on the water, talking loudly the while about our alarm.

"I ought not to have lain down," he said, in tones full of self-reproach. "I might have known that the fire would break out again."

"Why, we couldn't have had a better watch kept, Mr Brymer."

"You are right, my lad," he replied warmly. "I ought to have thought of that too. Go and tell Mr and Miss Denning that the danger is at an end."

I hurried off, and mounted to the p.o.o.p, where Mr Denning sat in his chair, well wrapped in a plaid; and as I approached, Miss Denning's voice asked quickly--"Who is that?"

"Dale, Miss Denning. I've come to tell you that the fire is mastered again."

I heard her utter a deep sigh, and I believe she began to cry, but it was too dark to see her face.

"How long had it been burning when you whistled?" I asked.

"Not a minute," said Miss Denning. "We were watching the setting of one of the stars, when all at once there was a dull report somewhere in the hold, and in an instant there was a flash, and great volumes of fire and smoke began to roll up."

"But it was only lit-up steam," I said, talking as one experienced in such matters.